Press

PHILADELPHIA, PA 2012—Kids and families can dig right in to art, culture, and adventure, as the Penn Museum offers Family Second Sunday Workshops, 1:00 to 4:00 pm from September 2012 through May 2013. Geared to families with children ages 5 and up, each Family Second Sunday Workshop features a craft, touchable artifacts, and gallery activities. Attendees may drop in anytime between 1:00 and 4:00 pm to participate.

Attendees to a Family Second Sunday Workshop automatically become members of Penn Museum’s Art Excavators Club. Club members who attend three Family Second Sunday workshops receive a free surprise!

From Monsters to Shakespeare with a Twist: Penn Museum JoinsThe Philly Fringe with Two Programs September 13–16, 2012

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Expect some strange situations and unlikely happenings at the Penn Museum September 13 through 16, 2012, when the Museum opens its Chinese and ancient Egyptian galleries for two Philly Fringe events.

Renowned New York artist and teacher Douglas Irving Repetto brings his Monsters: A Workshop and Happening to the Chinese Rotunda and the Warden Garden for a memorable afternoon open to all audiences on Sunday, September 16. Thursday through Saturday, the University of Pennsylvania’s own Underground Shakespeare Company uses the Museum’s iconic Egypt (Sphinx) Gallery as the backdrop to a reimagining of the bard’s famous tragedy Antony and Cleopatra.

For the most updated information on programs offered at the Penn Museum, and for online pre-registration (optional or required for some programs) visit the Penn Museum Event Calendar.

October 2Tuesday, 6:00 pmLive from the Archives!The Chiney Shop(2012)

Penn Museum offers this U.S. premiere presentation of filmmaker/director Jeanette Kong’s new documentary, The Chiney Shop. Drawing from the Penn Museum's unique 1930s footage of Jamaica, The Chiney Shop tells the story of Chinese shopkeepers all over Jamaica and their relationships to the communities of which they were a part. Jeanette Kong presents the film. The program concludes with a panel discussion on the Chinese diaspora in the West Indies, featuring Penn Anthropology Professor Dr. Deborah Thomas, organizer, with Dr. David Eng, Asian American Studies at Penn, and Dr. Anne Marie Lee-Loy of Ryerson University. Admission: Pay-what-you-want.

As part of its 75th Anniversary this fall, the Women’s Committee of the Penn Museum in Philadelphia is bringing back its signature fundraiser, TREASURES, Oct. 26–28. TREASURES originally began as a world cultures antiques show in 2005, and is now being relaunched with a focus on jewelry. The presenting sponsor of TREASURES is Tiffany & Co.

Year of Proof: Making and Unmaking of RaceSeptember 2, 2012 through August 18, 2013Is there such a thing in humans called race? Since the emergence of biology and anthropology, scientists have developed categories for all living things, including humans. But what can the categorization of humans tell us? Penn Museum houses the notorious Morton Collection of skulls, collected to confirm 19th century society's beliefs about racial hierarchy. Understand how scientists have used the collection from the 19th century to today, and what implications arose from their respective analyses. Explore the history of race in this small display, which ties in with the University of Pennsylvania's 2013 themed "Year of Proof." Trescher Entrance Lobby, 1st Floor

Come out and drum with Joseph Tayoun, internationally acclaimed Middle Eastern percussionist. Sessions include instruction of rhythms, technique, and a drum circle jam in the inspiring setting of the Museum’s Egypt (Sphinx) gallery. A limited number of drums are provided; drummers are encouraged to bring their own drums. Dancers are welcome! Admission: $15 walk-in ($100 in advance for all eight sessions); $10 walk-in student/Penn Museum member rate ($70 in advance for eight sessions). For more information, call 215.898.2680.

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Wednesday nights ring out this summer in West Philadelphia, as the rich sounds of international music return to the lush garden setting at Penn Museum. The third annual P.M. @ Penn Museum Summer Nights music series features weekly performances on Wednesdays, June 20 through August 29, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, in the Penn Museum's Stoner Courtyard.

The summer lineup features musical styles ranging from Middle Eastern folk/rock to Brazilian Bossa Nova and lively Creole Zydeco to funk fusion. For the after-work crowd, PM @ Penn Museum Summer Nights offers great live performances in a relaxed outdoor locale, as well as drinks and light fare from the Pepper Mill Café's garden bar, and the chance to explore Penn Museum's many galleries. Concerts move inside in the event of rain.

Penn Museum Presents an Evening to Imagine AfricaA Free Community Night of Music, Dance, and Art, Wednesday, May 23As Part of Ongoing Imagine Africa with the Penn Museum Gallery Project

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Penn Museum hosts a celebration of African and African-American culture with a Free Community Night, Wednesday, May 23 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. The evening features dynamic percussion by the West Powelton Steppers Drill Team, electrifying moves by line dance instructor Kenny J, and the spoken word poetry of the Philly Youth Poetry Movement, as well as a comic book workshop with members of the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention. Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell joins Penn Museum in presenting this event, in conjunction with the ongoing Imagine Africa with the Penn Museum gallery project.

Penn Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Art Agree to “Exchange of Prisoners”

As Part of Loan Agreement for Metropolitan Museum’s “Dawn of Egyptian Art” ExhibitionStatue of Bound Captive on View at Penn Museum Beginning May 2

PHILADELPHIA, PA—When Penn Museum agreed to lend objects from its Egyptian collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for their new exhibition, The Dawn of Egyptian Art (April 10 through August 5, 2012), Penn Museum’s Egyptian section curator made one special request—for a temporary “exchange of prisoners.”

Metropolitan Museum’s curator of the exhibition and University of Pennsylvania alumna Diana Craig Patch requested­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 10 objects from the Penn Museum, one of which is a spectacular stone door socket carved in the form of a captive, regularly on view in the Penn Museum’s Upper Egyptian Gallery. With his body flattened to the ground and his hands bound behind, the figure on the door socket bears the unhappy likeness of a prisoner of Egypt under Pharaoh’s domination. Once, part of a temple at the ancient cult site of Hierakonpolis, a heavy wooden door turned on a pivot that would have fit into the depression on the captive’s back. The artifact dates to the first or second Egyptian dynasties—between 3000 and 2675 BCE.

MAY 1, 2012—It may not be the end of the world, but it is the end of plans for a 25-ton sand sculpture on The Porch in front of Amtrak 30th Street Station.

On Monday morning, Greg and Brandi Glenn, the California sand artist couple, began the 25-ton sand project for the Penn Museum, to herald the world premiere of MAYA 2012: Lords of Time, a new exhibition opening May 5. They had plans to sculpt a larger than life recreation of Altar Q, a famous monument from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Copan in Honduras.

After the sand arrived, some concerns developed because the sculpture was being created on a PennDOT bridge structure. University City District, partner of the project, was then informed that a series of approvals would be needed, taking several days in order for the project to move forward—time the sculptors did not have.

“We are sorry not to be able to present this sand sculpture, intended to celebrate the great Maya art of Copan, Honduras, as we herald the opening of MAYA 2012: Lords of Time—but we are mindful that it is not the end of the world!” noted Dr. Richard Hodges, Penn Museum Director. “Our new exhibition explores the supposed ‘end of the world’ predictions of the ancient Maya—and we hope that area residents and Amtrak riders alike will come to Penn Museum to see the rich art and culture in this great show—while there is still time!”

Penn Museum in Philadelphia Explores Origins of 2012 End of World Predictions

with Major New Exhibition MAYA 2012: Lords of Time

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Did the Maya believe the world would end in December 2012?

With MAYA 2012: Lords of Time—a world premiere exhibition—the Penn Museum confronts the current fascination with the year 2012, comparing predictions of a world-transforming apocalypse with their supposed origins in the ancient Maya civilization. The exhibition is presented in partnership with the Instituto Hondureño de Antropologia e Historia of the Republic of Honduras, opened May 5, and runs through January 13, 2013.

PHILADELPHIA, PA—A diverse gathering of local dance performers lights up the stage Wednesday, April 25 at 6:00 pm with African Dance! This evening of African and African-influenced steps and moves features hip-hop dance by Rennie Harris RHAW, tap and percussive dance by Germaine Ingram and Bobby Zankel, West African dance by the Cachet Ivey Performing Arts Collective, and the Umfundalai technique of Kariamu & Company: Traditions. The event is curated by Terri Shockley, Executive Director of the Community Education Center, and is presented in conjunction with the ongoing Imagine Africa with the Penn Museum gallery project. Entry is free with Museum admission donation: $12, adults; $10, seniors (65 and above); $8, children (6-17) and full-time students with ID; free for children under 6.

PHILADELPHIA, PA—The rich culture, history, and intrigue of India take the spotlight at Penn Museum Saturday, March 24 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, with Hello India! This special celebration of the vibrant nation welcomes children and families for an afternoon of classical dance performances and workshops, lively music, spicy Indian food, and an assortment of arts and crafts activities for all ages. Hello India! is FREE with Museum admission ($10 general admission; $7, seniors and military; $6, children 6-17 and students with ID; free for children under 6).

Hello India! is co-sponsored by the International Classroom at Penn Museum, the South Asian Center of Penn, Bharatiya Temple and Cultural Center, Chinmaya Mission, and Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Brazil’s vibrant cultural and musical heritage take center stage during Brazilian Groove, a Free Community Day on Saturday, March 31, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (with special programming from 1:00 to 4:00 pm) at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia. Brazil is a country richly influenced by the African diaspora and this family-friendly event features Afro-Brazilian drumming and dance workshops, a demonstration of the energetic dance and martial art of Capoeira Angola, and a Brazilian-influenced African dance performance. Brazilian Groove is a featured program presented in conjunction with the Museum’s ongoing Imagine Africa with the Penn Museum gallery project and in partnership with ODUNDE and the Brasil Cultural Center.

For the most updated information on programs offered at the Penn Museum, and for online pre-registration (optional or required for some programs) visit the Penn Museum Event Calendar.

May 2Wednesday, 6:00 pmGreat Riddles in Archaeology Lecture SeriesThe Mystery of the Lost Jamestown Fort (1607-1624), the First Permanent English Settlement in North America

The Jamestown Fort, built in 1607, was the beginning of the first permanent British settlement in what is now the United States. Abandoned after its inhabitants relocated around 1624, the fort was believed to be lost forever until its rediscovery in 1994. Dr. Robert L. Schuyler, Associate Curator, Historical Archaeology Section, Penn Museum, discusses the missing years and the spectacular findings recently made in the fort's long history. Admission: $10 at the door; $5 with advance registration. For more information, call 215.898.2680.

Long Distance Runners of Mexico Are the Subject of a New Photography ExhibitionRun! Super-Athletes of the Sierra MadreMarch 31 through September 30, 2012 at the Penn Museum

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Run! Super-Athletes of the Sierra Madre, a new exhibition of 30 contemporary color photographs by Diana Molina, opens at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia March 31 through September 30, 2012.

Hip Hop Artists “Imagine Africa” with the Penn MuseumAt a Free Community Night Wednesday, March 28, 5:00 to 8:00 pm

Program is Part of Ongoing Imagine Africa Community Engagement Project

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Six local Hip Hop groups and artists—special visitors to the Penn Museum’s African galleries in January—return to the Museum to perform their own original new music and lyrics live at a Free Community Night on Wednesday, March 28, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Imagine Africa at the Penn Museum and all the Museum galleries are open for the family-friendly evening, which features an African arts and craft table for children and families. Hip Hop Artists “Imagine Africa” with the Penn Museum is co-sponsored by the hip hop radio show, the IIourshow/ThorTakeover, LLC on WNJC 1360 AM.

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Voices of Africa, Cultural Arts Collective choral and percussion ensemble, offers a community workshop and concert on Wednesday, February 22, 6 pm at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia. The family-friendly event, free with Museum admission ($10 adult; $7 seniors 65 and older; $6 students and children 6-17), is a featured program offered in conjunction with the Museum's year-long gallery project, Imagine Africa with the Penn Museum.

An African Cultural Arts Collective that works with a range of Philadelphia area artists from around the African Diaspora, Voices of Africa has performed widely throughout the region, around the country at sites including the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., and the National Women's Music Festival, and at venues internationally since its founding in 1990. The Penn Museum program with Voices of Africa features an ensemble of 6-8 singers, drummers and dancers. The program is curated by Gina Renzi, Director of The Rotunda, a community gathering place in University City, fueled by the belief that art is a catalyst of social change.

PHILADELPHIA, PA—African music, dance, and diverse cultures take center stage on Saturday, February 18, from 1 to 4 pm, when the Penn Museum offers a free community afternoon, part of the ongoing Imagine Africa with the Penn Museum gallery project and public programming initiative that runs through January 2013. Philadelphia radio station 100.3 WRNB is sponsor of the free afternoon, and on air personality Lady B broadcasts live from the Penn Museum between 11 am and 2 pm.

While special activities run from 1 to 4 pm, the Penn Museum opens its doors free to the community for the entire day (10 am to 5 pm), with plenty of time to explore the new Imagine Africa with the Penn Museumgallery project, as well as the African Gallery, the ancient Egyptian Galleries, and beyond.